In the interests of allaying some of the concerns excited by the media, we would like to address several of the relevant issues.

When did it first appear? In 1997.  The more recent outbreaks date from 2003.  But this is not a new phenomenon.

Where is it most prevalent?  South-East Asia, although cases have occurred in some 20 countries, including China, Russia, Turkey; Southeastern, Eastern and Western Europe, and several countries in Africa.  The majority of human cases have occurred in Vietnam.  Although, once contracted, this is a dangerous virus (about half of those actually infected have died), there have been fewer than 250 documented cases since 1997.  To date, the H5N1 strain has killed 141 people in nine countires since 2003, mostly in Indonesia and Vietnam.

Who is currently at risk? People who work with or live in extremely close proximity to infected poultry.  In addition, there may be some risk associated with eating raw or partially cooked chicken or duck in affected regions.

Is avian flu transmissible from one human to another?  There have been no confirmed cases so far.  However, this is the major concern of epidemiologists.

Is it likely to become transmissible? This is the $64,000 question.  There is always a possibility.  But it has not happened yet.

When might this become a reality? The consensus option is that it was very unlikely to happen during the 2005-06 flu season, but at some future time.  Wild birds are the most likely vehicle for the spread of this disease around the world, and, if it is to spread further in the Northern Hemisphere, then the earliest that this might be expected is with the return migration of birds from their winter habitats to our south.  However, following the migration of birds northward in spring 2006 and the failure of avian flue\ to spread further in the Northern Hemisphere, the role of wild birds in the spread of the disease is being questioned.

Is there currently any way to protect against this disease? No.  No vaccine has yet been developed.

What about Tamiflu?  Tamiflu primarily addresses symptoms. However, in the absence of a vaccine, it may be of some assistance in managing symptoms and controlling secondary infections.

Is there any value in getting a regular flu vaccination?Possibly.  If you get the flu, and are in a weakened condition and are simultaneously exposed to avian flu (see above re circumstances that might lead to human infection) there "may" be an increased risk. Thus, protection against regular flu may help protect you against avian flu—if you are around infected poultry.

What can Middlebury College do if avian flu mutates and spreads from human to human and if it develops into the feared pandemic? Very little.  But this will be no different from the world's health authorities.  Once the flu mutates into a form that will spread from human to human, it will be beyond anyone's control.  Furthermore, a person's chances of contracting avian flu, should it enter the human population, will be neither better nor worse at our Schools Abroad than they are here, and, while some countries may be less prepared than the U.S. to deal with this problem, if it becomes one, some countries may be better prepared than we are.

Should human to human transmission of the virus eventuate, and depending on advice from the Centers for Disease Control (http://www.cdc.gov/travel/ ), The World Health Organization  (http://www.who.int/en/ ), and the State Department (http://travel.state.gov/ ), as well as local U.S. Embassies, Middlebury will decide how best to respond and how best to implement its standing emergency procedures at its Schools Abroad (http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/sa/healthsafety/ ).  
 
Short of a decision to close a School Abroad and evacuate, students will have the option to take a medical withdrawal.  The rules governing a medical withdrawal are outlined in the General Handbook (http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/sa/handbook/ ).  In such cases, students will not receive any credit and will forfeit their tuition, unless they have taken out tuition insurance, in which case they can apply to the insurance provider.  However, their transcript will contain no indication either of their enrollment or their withdrawal from the program.

Students enrolled in non-Middlebury programs or other universities abroad will want to consult with their host institution and/or providers regarding their emergency procedures, as well as their withdrawal policy should the student choose to leave the program/university early.

Updated 8/24/2006